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Monday, July 28, 2008

How to Freeze Fresh Basil

Frozen basil is a wonderful thing to have in the freezer!

(Updated - July 2008) When I wrote a quick little post about how to freeze fresh basil years ago for Weekend Herb Blogging, I didn't realize it would turn into one of the most popular posts ever on Kalyn's Kitchen! I'm still growing and freezing fresh basil every summer and I decided it's time to update this with better photos and more complete instructions. I'm also adding ideas for using frozen basil after the photos.

If you're a gardener who's growing basil, here are my step-by-step instructions on how you can freeze your basil to use all through the winter. I do this several times each summer, whenever I have some basil that needs to be harvested. Here's how my basil looked before I trimmed the plants and pulled off the big leaves.

Here's my basil after I trimmed it. Basil will actually produce more leaves if it's vigorously trimmed a few times each year, since everywhere you cut the stem it produces two new stems. Just be sure to keep a few leaves on each stem (remember high school botany, that's where the plant gets food.)

I pinch off all the basil leaves, discard the stems, and wash the leaves very well in a salad spinner. Spin them as dry as you possibly can. If you don't have a salad spinner, just wash your basil leaves in the sink and dry them well with paper towels.

Put a few of handfuls of basil into the food processor, using the steel blade. The food processor bowl should be full, but not tightly packed.

I pulse the food processor with one hand and drizzle olive oil into the feed tube with the other hand, just pulsing until the basil is coarsely chopped. You should make sure that all the basil is coated with oil too, which keeps it from going dark in the freezer. I use about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for each batch in the food processor when I'm making coarsely chopped basil like this to use for pasta sauce, soup, or stew during the winter. When I'm making basil puree to add to basil vinaigrette I use more oil and chop the basil much more finely.

I have two sizes of these little plastic containers with tight lids that I use to freeze the basil. It doesn't matter what size container you use, but a good trick is to measure the containers before you first use them. That way, when you pull one out of the freezer for a recipe, you'll know how much it is.

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145 comments:

Kalyn, this may be the most helpful bit of information I've read in weeks! Thanks so much for posting this -- I'm definitely going to put it to use, especially now that I have two basil plants.

I have to admit...I've been nervous about cutting the basil back. My two plants are still pretty small, but I want them to start getting bushy so I can use them regularly. How soon do you usually do your first cutting back?

Genie, don't be afraid to cut them back. Sometimes I even trim them more vigorously than the one in the photo. I think as soon as the plant has some good sized leaves you can start cutting it back. I'm usually careful to leave a set of leaves on each stem, but honestly I don't know if it's necessary. That's just a habit I have from "pinching back" houseplants, and I'm guessing the same principal applies here.

Adoro il basilico! My parents in Italy have basil in their garden and they use it fresh but me... here in Sweden... I always buy basil, simply take the leaves off, wash them well and then put them in the freezer. All people I know in Italy also freeze basil when it is out of season.Ciao.

Comments which are unrelated to the content of the post and appear to be nothing more than an attempt to advertise another blog will be deleted. I apologize if this seems harsh, but I learned from experience that if you let people post comments like that, they will do it over and over.

I've so far been successful at getting my husband to create some area sheltered enough in our mild Texas winter, that I'm able to grow basil all year. But, this will be useful if I have another basil failure like this winter. Thanks for a great tip.

Orchidea, interesting to know that it's common to freeze basil in Italy. I had read in so many cookbooks that you can't do it, but they're probably by American writers.

Tanna, of course you're right. Before I get too jealous about you growing basil in the winter in Texas, I should think about the hot summers. In Utah summer is pretty nice because of no humidity, although it gets pretty hot here too.

Some important things about basil are to never let it flower-keep pruning. Prune the branch to just above a set of leaves to promote side branches. You can prune as low as to leave 3 sets of leaves on the branch. Fertilize every other week with nitrogen fertilizer such as fish emulsion. If you need to prune more than you need, strip the lower leaves, put in water, change water daily and you will soon have rooted cuttings ready to plant for more wonderful plants

I just found your blog today! Great blog! I will be back again and again as I look for great recipes... My blog is: http://ca.360.yahoo.com/the.bunnyo I am blogging my attempted to go a year without junk food...

Kalyn, I couldn't agree more. Basil is my all time favorite herb. I've tried to grow it, but it's always been a failure, so I just buy it instead. Of course up here in Toronto, the big fat gorgeous bunches are only to be had in summer. The rest of the year we have to buy tiny little packets for the same price!

Isn't it amazing that the "covering basil with olive oil entirely before freezing" is not a standard instruction? We only blundered upon it after being devastated by quite black frozen pesto the first time I froze it (some years ago)

Until your post about freezing basil here, I've never seen it spelled out that way. I'm so glad you did.

-Elizabeth

P.S. Thanks for the link! My husband is tickled that you mentioned his brilliance at thinking of serving basil pesto with whole toasted pinenuts. And you really must try it! It's fabulous.

Ruth, you really must try growing basil! You should definitely grow enough to be able to garnish things at least. Our garden is almost entirely in shade and still the basil does grow.

We make pesto from those humungous bunches of basil that are available at the vegetable stores in early September....

-Elizabeth, in Toronto

P.S. Many of the garden centers sell basil in the "vegetable" section rather than the "herb" section. Ruth, you should be able to get 6 plants for about $1.00 in the vegetable area rather than 1 spindly plant for $2.00 (or more) in the herb area. (I know the garden center that is on Christie just north of Bloor has a deal like that...)

Jennifer, it will sound crazy, but at the end of the season I just cut off the branches of rosemary and thyme and put them in the freezer in a ziploc bag. Then when I need some I just take a branch and pull the leaves off. They come off really easily when they're frozen.

Great post, Kalyn. One of my friends planted a couple of basil plants but they don't use basil. So they invited me to come to their house to pick some. I went and got a WHOLE bunch. Their plants were upto 3ft high. Now, I know how I save it to use it all year long :).

Hi. Wow, I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so please excuse me if I am writing in the wrong area. I was reading these great tips on freezing basil and I love it! I am wondering if anyone can give me tips on growing basil indoors. Can this be done? I live in San Francisco, and I don't have a garden, but I love herbs.

I've been freezing basil for years. Last year, I tried making basil pesto and freezing individual cubes in ice cube trays, then into freezer bags when frozen. These cube-size portions are great to add flavor to recipes or when my grandsons ask for bowties and "green sauce." This year, I line the trays first with saran wrap, freeze, then lift the whole sheet of saran wrap out--so much easier to remove the frozen cubes. Hope this is helpful to someone. Mema

Anonymous, no problem. I try to defrost the basin in the fridge if I can, but you can do it in the microwave. I use it in soups, stews, pesto, and mixed into Italian dressing to make "basil vinaigrette" which is good drizzled over fish, vegetables, and of course, tomatoes.

Kalyn,Thanks for the tip...last year I left alot of basil on the plants because I didn't know what to do. I plan to freeze it with a little water in ice cube trays. I will send a yummy email in the middle of winter when I add it to my marinara sauce :-)

OK, I never thought frozen pesto would be anything like fresh. Well, I just thawed some to have with goat cheese and roasted red peppers. It was FABULOUS! It really CAN be frozen. Your method of freezing with olive oil is perfect! IF I wanted to "brighten" up my pesto a bit I would stick it back in my food processor and add a bit more lime juice (I love the brightness of lime juice in pesto) and that's it. Thank you for offering this information, which I was about to dispute on a cooking forum. I was smart enough to google it first!!!!!! :-)

I have grown basil and tomatoes for years to make my own marinara sauce. I have successfully frozen both. For the basil I chop it up and put it into ice cube trays and add water. Freeze solid and put into zip freezer bags. Then it can be thawed or just popped into the sauce.

I take basil leaves off the stems and arrange on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer---then I pack the frozen leaves into zip lock bags, date and place back into the freezer. The basil retains its fresh taste in recipes with no added oil.

I"m in Utah and I wondered if it is possible to haul my basil pot inside for the winter, have you tried that or do basil plants have a specified life span? Can't wait to go try freezing some basil now. I planted about 8 or 10 basil plants in a large pot and they are going crazy and they get bushier every time I pluck out the flower heads. Thanks for the great information! HOlly

Hi Holly,Basil is an annual, which means it only lives for a certain length of time. Theoretically you could plant new seeds and grow it inside in the winter, but I doubt you could really get enough sun to do it successfully in Utah. Don't be afraid to cut your basil way back during the summer though. I trim mine 4-5 times each summer and freeze each crop.

I've been using this same method for freezing Basil, but, instead of putting the Basil/Olive oil into small plastic containers, I put it into ice cube trays. ( I have several trays that I use strictly for freezing herbs, as well as some for freezing juice from my Meyers lemon tree). Once frozen, I put the cubes into freezer zip-lock bags and store in the freezer. One cube equals, approximately, one tablespoon of fresh chopped basil. When I need Basil over the winter months I just take out a cube, let it thaw and I'm good to go!

I freeze dill, parsley, mint... my mother used to freeze them but I did not know that you can freeze basil, I must try it as it is one of my favourite herbs as well. I have always basil plant on my window :)

Audrey, I don't think I've tried doing it that way (I just make the pesto and freeze that.) I think it will work, but the basil will be a bit more wet, so you'll probably need less oil. I'd thaw it in the fridge first. Let me know how it turns out, love to try it.

Kalyn: This is such helpful information. I just learned how to keep basil in my kitchen from Ross Parson's book "How to Pick a Peach" -- don't refrigerate, just put in a glass with water on your kitchen counter -- and now your post on saving it for winter cooking. Terrific! My basil is growing abundantly in pots on my back porch and I didn't know what to do with it all. This is very instructive. I'm not surprised that it is one of your most popular posts but thanks for re-posting. Janice

I haven't frozen just basil, but adore freezing pesto in ice cube trays:))). I wrote a post about it and you will laugh, get emails all the time about the cool red ice cube tray (in my photo). I bought it at ikea a few years back:).

I hope you are well, I SO wished I could have made the BlogHer conference this year, but family reunion prevailed.

Janelle, would have loved to been able to meet you at BlogHer. I think the the plastic containers will make the basil last a bit longer in the freezer, but ziploc bags would work too. You could use the ice cube trays, then pop the basil cubes into zip-loc bags.

How timely! Thanks so much. My basil *just took a header off my deck today during a thunderstorm. Fell about 10 feet and broke all but one of its main stems. So I'm sitting here with 4 giant stems full of basil and no idea how to freeze it. You rock!

This is wonderful. Thanks for the information. I've got herbs taking over everything I cook, eat, and drink. I've never frozen herbs before, but I'm dehydrating the heck out of them. It works well, too. I appreciate having another method to save them for later. Melissa

Also, since I didn't have any cute little containers, I put my mix in an ice cube tray and froze it and then put it in a big bag, hopefully they won't get too yucky. (I am hoping for my birthday to get one of those vacume sealers but I think I am getting a fence instead.)

Jenefr, yes I do think this will work with other herbs. The only thing to remember is whether that particular herb mixed with olive oil will be useful in winter dishes the way basil is. I think parsley would be a good choice to freeze using this method.

You can freeze many herbs just on the stems, I've written about freezing rosemary and thyme and sage, tarragon, and mint, all of which can be frozen just on the stems, the leaves will fall off when they're frozen.

I was reading your post on how to freeze fresh basil... You can do this with oregano also... clean and dry the leaves.... chop in food processor.. the take ice cube trays and put the crushed lives in it with olive oil...making sure its covered with enough olive oil.... freeze it... then pop them out .. wrap them .. and re refreeze... you now have individual servings

Anonymous, there is no reason you can't chop the basil and mix in the olive oil by hand, it will just take a lot of chopping. The most important thing is to be sure each piece of basil has a thin layer of oil coating it. That's what prevents the basil from turning black.

Hi Kalyn, I really enjoy your blog. I came home from the farmer's market with a huge bouquet of basil and wanted to try your freezing method, but I didn't have small containers and no ice cube trays either. I did have some eggs that were in one of those molded plastic cartons. I washed it well and bingo, I had 24 nice little molds! Thanks for all your great ideas.

Hi Kalyn -- love this idea and can't wait to grow a forest of basil next year in my garden! But as much as I love basil, my favorite herb is cilantro -- do you have a technique for storing cilantro for winter use as well?

Kalyn, My mother swears that she saw something on tv that said there is a way to freeze basil without it going black. She is 80 yrs. old and I didn't believe her. I just recently started playing with a computer, so she said, why don't you see if you can find it on the internet? Well I did and I also found some many other things on your website. Thank you, my mother and I can now freeze basil as well as many other things.

I'm about to lose a Basil plant that has been overwatered and your directions for freezing will save what's left and make it easier when cooking with basil in the future. First time to your site and it is now a favorite in my "food and beverage" category.

Kalyn, thank you for the info about freezing basil. I have planted basil in between my tomato plants and they now need pruning. I had my first experience with pesto last year - so delish! I will post my results on my blog. Thank you for sharing!!

Frieda, you're welcome. You'll be glad you trimmed it because your basil will produce more, and you'll love having it in the freezer this winter! Utah is getting a pretty good group of bloggers, fun isn't it.

Since I have a small freezer with not a lot of extra space I put my pureed basil into small sandwich sized zip lock baggies. I press out all of the air and lay them flat to freeze. Once they are frozen they stack up up-right in the freezer and don't take up much space. When I need some basil for a recipe I just open a bag and break off the right amount.

Kaylyn, I need your help! This is my first time growing basil, and I really appreciated your tutorial on growing basil. I have 3 lovely plants in my yard. Now, I'm getting swiss cheese looking basil leaves. What could be eating up my plants?

Frieda, that happens to me too. I suspect it's snails, but I'm not really sure what causes it. I've been known to use snail bait around the edge of the garden, although I don't like to put it close to the herbs. I try to keep the leaves picked, which does help.

Kalyn, I just received some fresh basil from a friend, in the form of numerous sprigs, each of which has a few leaves and a long flower spike, mostly still in the green stage. Do you know if the green flower bracts are edible? They smell like the leaves, and I hate the thought of throwing away all that delicious aroma! Thanks.

Basil flowers (the small buds actually) are extremely flavorful! We always throw themm into the blender when making pesto. By themelves they are great to add to veggies which you are about to grill. Always snip them off the plants as a lot of energy goes into producing the flowers. You will get more leaves and a much longer season.

I gave up on saving the flowers; too much work for so little volume! I do think the leaves were a little more bitter than usual; I had read that that happens once it's bloomed. But they were still good enough for homemade marinara, that's still way better than storebought!

I buy those big jars of pre-peeled garlic cloves from Costco and freeze them, but the garlic does come out a bit softer when it's been frozen. Still perfectly usable though. If there is any other trick to it, I don't know what it is.

Hi, I am new to the site....I have a piece of frozen ginger...can I thaw it out and cut off a chunk to grow indoors or should I start with a fresh never frozen chunk? also I want to grow fresh mint on my windowsill...I bought a small plant last year at the grocery store and the plant slowly died after I snipped off all the delicious leaves! Any suggestions for either would be greatly appreciated!

I have basil, opal basil, thai basil, lemon basil, spicy basil and dwarf basil. Should I freeze them individually according to their type or mix and match? Can I just freeze the basil and make pesto later of should I make pesto now and freeze? Thanks Lori

Just to clarify, this way of freezing basil is not Basil Pesto, which is an Italian type sauce made from pureed basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. This is chopped basil coated with olive oil, which keeps the basil from going brown when it's frozen.

I have been making pesto for the freezer for quite a few years. Last week I went to puree the basil and my cuininart was broken....hummmm Late in the eve I decided to dry well and put in the freezer. I have borrowed a cuininart and plan to make pesto this eve. None of the leaves are black at this time. Am I best to just leave the leaves until I need them....or can I puree now.Thank you

Carrie, I honestly don't know, but if it was me I would probably puree them with olive oil and then re-freeze. You could leave a few of the ones you have now frozen and see what happens. (And do report back if you experiment, would love to know what happens.)

Kalyn.......I've been growing Greek Columnar Basil. It's quite hearty and does not flower.The leaves, however, are a good deal smaller than Sweet Italian Basil. I'd like to freeze the leaves, but do I handle the preservation the same way?Thanks for your advice.

Have never seen this type of basil before but I googled it and I'm fascinated. It looks like the leaves are similar although a little smaller, so I can't think of any reason you wouldn't handle it the same way for freezing.

It's the end of the growing season and we just harvested a giant basil bush! The first batch of leaves yielded about 2 cups once processed, and I'm freezing in mini muffin cups but will transfer to permanent containers once frozen. In all the years we've grown herbs, this was the easiest and fastest method for preserving we've ever tried.

I have to say Thank you so much for this post. I realized it is a few years old, however I received an email that my farmers market received a mis-shipment of 10,000 pounds of basil! And the best part, they are giving it away free, first come first serve. I will be going to get some free basil tomorrow and process and freeze it!

And years after your post, it is STILL helping folks! I cut back all my basil today - the plants were HUGE. Then I went through what I had cut and took off the good leaves. All last winter, I had to buy basil weekly for my cooking, and I am determined to not do that again. So your description of how to freeze basil is very helpful. Thanks! Now I have to do the same with my rosemary, thyme, cilantro, parsley, and dill.

I either process basil with oil or with water and then spread it out on a cookie sheet. Place it in the freezer then when it's frozen I break it up like brittle and keep it frozen for soups and sauces or add other stuff to make pesto. I do this with Kale and Lamb's Quarter and Chard also. A good way to sneak in nutrients with my husband who turns his nose up at chard and kale unless it's saturated with oil and served with potatoes!

I press my pesto flat in a freezer bag and freeze it that way. I make the layer thing enough that it's easy just to break off what I need. I love the idea of having a more neutral option since I've been wanting to try using basil in some sweeter dishes.

Kalyn, I just discovered your blog with the heading that it was updated in June 2008. What a great find for me. Basil has become my very favorite herb and you are my very favorite blogger for having such fantastic tips for all of us. Bless you for giving us a method to save all of that fantastic taste for winter use. Have a great fall and winter, Margaret

Thanks for this awesome idea. I searched out on ways to have a "fresher" way to store my basil in the winter after reading that it is one of several herbs that isn't flavor worthy when dried. Not sure if I agree with that but at least it lead me to your site. I followed your directions and them made 1/4 cup dollops onto a waxed-papered cookie sheet, put them in the freezer overnight, and then transferred the dollops into a freezer bag. Perfect! Thanks again!

And here it is...what I didn't see before, when I sent a comment on the basil chicken breasts!

Awesome, this answers my "how" question!

Thank you for the wonderful recipes and for having such a fun and interesting blog. I've been lurking for years now and just had to come out of the woodwork to tell you how amazing this blog is. I'm always recommending it to people!

You might be able to get it to work in a blender, but I am a bit worried that it will chop the basil more finely than you'd want. If you did it that way, I would only buzz for a second or two, then stir, repeating until it's all chopped. You could also chop the basil by hand and then mix with olive oil in a bowl.

Hi Kalyn, I just came across your site. I have rosemary and thyme plants that are overgrown and have a lot of thick stems. . I want to get new growth. What would be the best method of harvesting and preserving. Maria

I just discovered your website searching for ways to harvest and store my abundant basil. I also want to harvest my lemon balm. Is it time? How to trim and harvest the herb,so it continues growing? Excellent work/site! Quite amazing, will let my friends know about it! Jana

Best way I've found with freezing basil is clean the leaves, leave them out to dry off on towels. Once that is done, roll them into foot long logs about 1" thick, and freeze them on a cookie sheet... Once frozen, transfer them to a zip lock bag, and every time you need 'fresh' basil, cut some off with your kitchen scissors...

I haven't done it with a blender, and truthfully I worry that it will chop the basil too finely. If you don't have a food processor, I'd probably just chop up the basil with a knife and mix with olive oil in a bowl.

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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